Contact Us:

Headlines (Campus Updates)

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Laurier team to compete in the National Public Administration Case Study Competition

Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing

Feb 6/13

A YouTube clip of a First Nations woman's suicide goes viral and sends Canada into a political tailspin leading to protests, public outcry and the threat of violence. The prime minister turns to a group of public servants to analyze the risks and issues and prepare recommendations to resolve and retake control of the situation.

Although based on the political realities of Canada, this is a fictional case study that a group of masterís students in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University will assess and present policy recommendations on at the National Public Administration Case Study Competition, being held Feb. 8, 2013, in Kingston, Ont.

The Laurier team of Jesse Dhaliwal,Erin Estok, Mike Szabo and Andrew Basso will join nine other teams across Canada to vie for the national championship at the second annual case study competition. Each team has 30 minutes to present its recommendations and answer questions put forward by an expert panel of senior public policy leaders.

"I have a lot of confidence in our team," said Chris Alcantara, an associate professor of political science who will accompany the team to Kingston as their faculty coach. "These students come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a diverse set of skills to the table. They've been working hard over the last several months to prepare for this competition. I think they have a great chance to win it this year."

The team received the policy case study one week in advance of the competition and is currently working hard to prepare their policy response with the help of Kim Rygiel, an assistant professor of political science, and Alcantara.

"The event provides a tremendous opportunity for our students to showcase their skills and knowledge in the area of Canadian politics and public policy," said Rygiel. "It provides our students a chance to leverage what they have learned in the classroom into professional practice, as well as the chance to work collaboratively as part of a team and closely with faculty mentors."

The case competition is being hosted by Queen's University, in conjunction with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) and the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA). For more information on the competition, visit the website.